Business 2.0 reader picks for the business tools you can't work without.

About two and a half years ago, I found myself having trouble retaining information. I thought I was going senile. Then I started researching how the brain functions and learned that working on puzzles, anagrams, sudoku, and the like can strengthen one's mathematical, verbal, and problem-solving skills. I kept reading about Mensa Brain Bafflers, produced by the famous society of superintellects, so I bought a copy. It offers a good mix of puzzles and games that are challenging but not impossible. Each day I spend a little time working on a problem. The exercises teach me to look at business challenges differently by redefining the problems or reorganizing the available information. Working on verbal puzzles has made me much more articulate, a real asset when speaking about my company at conferences. As long as I keep up with my daily brainteasers, I am never tongue-tied, absentminded, or stumped.